Vancouver man charged with attempted murder after four men shot in Richmond targeted hit

Kim Bolan and Mike Hager, Vancouver Sun05.02.2014

Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

RCMP search the bushes just east of the Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond Thursday after four people were shot Wednesday evening.Jenelle Schneider
/ PNG

Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

RCMP cordon off the Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond Thursday after four people were shot Wednesday evening. The investigation is ongoing. January 17, 2013Jenelle Schneider
/ PNG

RCMP cordon off the Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond Thursday after four people were shot Wednesday evening. The investigation is ongoing. January 17, 2013Jenelle Schneider
/ PNG

RCMP cordon off the Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond Thursday after four people were shot Wednesday evening. The investigation is ongoing. January 17, 2013Jenelle Schneider
/ PNG

RCMP cordon off the Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond Thursday after four people were shot Wednesday evening. The investigation is ongoing. January 17, 2013Jenelle Schneider
/ PNG

RCMP cordon off the Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond Thursday after four people were shot Wednesday evening. The investigation is ongoing. January 17, 2013.Jenelle Schneider
/ PNG

Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

Insp. Bryon Massie briefs reporters near the Riverside Banquet club in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

Police check vehicles near the Riverside Banquet club in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

Reporters crowd around to speak to people leaving the area near the Riverside Banquet club in Richmond where four people were shot at a function in the evening of Wednesday, January 16, 2013.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

A police vehicle at the scene of a reported shooting at Riverside Banquet Hall in Richmond on Jan. 16, 2013.Kim Bolan
/ Vancouver Sun

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METRO VANCOUVER -- A 26-year-old Vancouver man known to police has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault in connection with a Richmond shooting that injured four people Wednesday night.

Sukhdeep Singh Sandhu appeared briefly in Richmond Provincial Court Friday. He has been remanded in custody until a bail hearing Jan. 24.

Sandhu was arrested just minutes after a longshoremen's party at the Riverside Banquet Hall was sprayed with gunfire.

He is facing three counts of attempted murder and one of aggravated assault.

Sandhu, who has worked as a casual longershoremen, allegedly had a long-standing dispute with one of the men critically injured at Wednesday's party for new union members.

Witnesses told The Vancouver Sun an argument broke out at the event and that the accused left and returned with a gun, allegedly shooting and wounding four people.

All the wounded are in stable condition in hospital.

About 150 were at the banquet hall at 14500 River Rd. when the shots rang out. Many raced to the exits and fled.

Banquet hall owner Bobby Ghirra said Friday that the tragic shooting was an extremely rare occurrence.

"These situations are isolated. But they can happen anywhere. It has nothing to do with the banquet hall," Ghirra said.

He said the RCMP had control of the building until about 4 p.m. Thursday.

When he and his staff had access again, they brought in a specialty restoration company to deal with the blood stains.

"They are the best for a situation like this. They have the chemicals and they have the disposal stuff. So we did that last night," he said.

"We have an event in one of our other rooms, one of the top rooms, tomorrow night. These winter months are a little bit slower. Normally we do weddings and similar type events."

He said he had never hosted a party for longshoremen before, but would not hesitate to do so again, despite the shooting.

"It can happen at any type of event. It doesn't have to be a longshoremens' event. It can happen at a wedding reception. It can happen at a concert. It can happen at clubs," Ghirra said. "You hear [about shootings] in the news a little more often than you should. "

Riverside was also the scene of a gang shooting at a wedding reception in 2001 that left Kuljit (Kelly) Buttar dead and several others injured.

The Richmond shooting was one of several across the Lower Mainland over the last week.

Well-known gangster Manjinder (Manny) Hairan, who was due to go to trial later this month on drug conspiracy charges, was shot to death in Surrey early Tuesday. His associate, Jujhar Singh Khun-Khun, was critically injured.

On Sunday night, Manjot Singh Dhillon, who also had gang ties, was shot to death in Surrey.

Hours later, two others known to police — John McGiveron and Geordie Carlow — were shot to death in an apartment parkade. Police said the double-murder was

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Vancouver man charged with attempted murder after four men shot in Richmond targeted hit

First in a seven-part series Around 2 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, 1983, Phillip Tallio was sitting in the kitchen at a house party catching up with a relative he hadn’t seen in years. According to court documents recently made public, he told her how excited he was to learn he was going to have a […]

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